Sleeping tips.

I have now been having sleeping issues for 2 months now. Before I used to sleep 8-9h/night but now I'm only sleeping 4-6h/night and it's becoming an issue now. I'm tired all the time. I went to doctor and he gave me recipe for some sleeping pills but I refused. My mom uses those and she can't sleep anymore without them and I don't want that. Now I have tried many different things to sleep better. Cooling my room to about 17-18°C as someone said this would work but no. Warm milk before sleeping, nope. I have tried walking before sleeping, nope. Any good tips here. I'm willing to try many things as long as there are no pills included in it.

Don't lay in bed or lay down at all unless you are ready to go to sleep. Make sure you don't have a TV on or something when you are ready for bed. Reading can help me fall asleep, if its a book I've already read. I would suggest a 'noise machine' too. I know the sound of rain helps me fall asleep, so I got a noise machine that has an hour long recording of rain, and it certainly helps me fall asleep.

I'm assuming, if you're old enough, you probably have a job. If so, what do you do?

I also agree with the 'white noise', fan in the background. I flat cannot sleep without it, even on drugs lol.

Do you have a lot of free time on your hands? One of the recommendations my sister got from her doctor, who also has similar sleeping issues, is to just stay up as long as you can, until your body naturally wants to go to sleep. Do this repeatedly for several weeks, noting what times you typically conk out and wake up. Then, try going to bed normally at that same time without staying up as long as possible, just do a normal day if you can. Trying to change your body's clock, basically.

Something I personally do, and this is extremely person-to-person on whether it works or not, is take some Benadryl (diphenhydramine) about 2 hours before bed. For some reason, that stuff knocks me out cold. I don't know where you live (no offense, but judging on how you type, probably not in the US?) you may not have access to this stuff. Just a recommendation.

Is your problem because your brain doesn't 'shut off'? You keep thinking about all sorts of things when you're trying to sleep, that sort of thing? That's a problem I constantly face, though I don't typically have issues getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night. If that's an issue, do something that helps you relax/unwind before bed, but keeps your mind focused. I use gaming. Typically a game that isn't difficult, something I find fun, but requires me to focus on it. Then usually I go to bed thinking about the game, what I did, what I can do when I play again, that sort of thing...and since my mind is focused on thinking about the game, and not chaotically thinking about everything all at once, it helps me go to sleep faster and easier.

Originally Posted by Warwithin

Politicians put their hand on the BIBLE and swore to uphold the CONSTITUTION. They did not put their hand on the CONSTITUTION and swear to uphold the BIBLE.

Originally Posted by Adam Jensen

Except maybe Morgan Freeman. That man could convince God to be an atheist with that voice of his . . .

I have now been having sleeping issues for 2 months now. Before I used to sleep 8-9h/night but now I'm only sleeping 4-6h/night and it's becoming an issue now. I'm tired all the time. I went to doctor and he gave me recipe for some sleeping pills but I refused. My mom uses those and she can't sleep anymore without them and I don't want that. Now I have tried many different things to sleep better. Cooling my room to about 17-18°C as someone said this would work but no. Warm milk before sleeping, nope. I have tried walking before sleeping, nope. Any good tips here. I'm willing to try many things as long as there are no pills included in it.

Thanks!

Has anything changed in your life during this time? Perhaps you feel a lot more stress? Changed any habits, perhaps you eat before you sleep or drink/eat too much sugary things? Have you done less physical activity, making you less tired? Do you feel like the sleep you get is enough or too little?

Perhaps a bit far fetched, but do you have any new electronics at or around your bed? I know a girl had problems with sleeping until they removed the digital clock next to her bed.

I have now been having sleeping issues for 2 months now. Before I used to sleep 8-9h/night but now I'm only sleeping 4-6h/night and it's becoming an issue now. I'm tired all the time. I went to doctor and he gave me recipe for some sleeping pills but I refused. My mom uses those and she can't sleep anymore without them and I don't want that. Now I have tried many different things to sleep better. Cooling my room to about 17-18°C as someone said this would work but no. Warm milk before sleeping, nope. I have tried walking before sleeping, nope. Any good tips here. I'm willing to try many things as long as there are no pills included in it.

Thanks!

Try melatonin. It's a chemical your brain creates naturally to help you regulate your sleep. It's non-addictive, completely natural, and should help you get some better sleep. You can take this every night if you want to; I do. You can get melatonin at just about any drugstore or supermarket.

Anything super intellectually stimulating will be harder, especially if you have trouble falling asleep.

I think you should try all three of these at once, that's what I do. When I'm having trouble sleeping I have a vigorous love-making session while doing a Sudoku.

He is the life of guilds he has never joined.
He once had a noobish moment- just to see what it felt like.
If he were to beat you in a duel, you would have to fight the strong urge to thank him.
The Lunar Elders have a holiday in which they honor him.
He can speak Darnassian. In Orcish.
He is: The Most Interesting Man in the World of Warcraft.

With a tattoo needle on her back, right? Extreme Sudoku. Better not make a mistake!

I usually just do it on my phone where she can't see it.

In all seriousness, while I was joking earlier about doing Sudoku during sex, I kinda want to try it now...

He is the life of guilds he has never joined.
He once had a noobish moment- just to see what it felt like.
If he were to beat you in a duel, you would have to fight the strong urge to thank him.
The Lunar Elders have a holiday in which they honor him.
He can speak Darnassian. In Orcish.
He is: The Most Interesting Man in the World of Warcraft.

I sometimes take a shot of whiskey before bed, to calm my nerves. 2 if the day's been hellish, but that's rare.

I found sleeping with ambient noise works. Example: I sleep better in the summer with the fan on, it doesn't need to hit me, I just like a constant noise, so long as it is not snoring. I also used to upload my youtube videos at night and the sound of the computer fan/hard drive going was enough.

Also, I cannot sleep with my feet under the covers, as it feels unbearably warm, so I simply fold the blanket and sleep with them out from under the covers.

The only other thing I can recommend is a dream machine (AKA: white noise machine). If you cannot find one, simply find cds that are of calm sounds, like rain fall or the ocean waves. (I love the rain one). If you're curious where you can buy them, I know Target stores carry them.

Why no pills? They can be good for inducing a normal sleeping pattern if you need it but are not a long term solution. Kudos for sticking with the natural solution but they might be useful to you and(at least where I am from) they are prescription so it is not like you are going to make a habit of it unless you like doctors appointments.

Stuff others might not have suggested:

Avoid big and carb loaded meals in the evening
Don't drink caffiene after midday as it can take 12 hours to break down in the body, even if you fall asleep immediately after your coffee it can lessen your sleep quality
Don't drink alcohol in the evening
Try a warm bath, easy stretches or deep breathing exercises
Have a bedtime ritual

Originally Posted by semaphore

I tried keeping a small light on. It helped me a bit.

I also have absolutely no idea why.

Clearly afraid of the dark :O

edit: one of the most important things to me personally - if you are not feeling like sleep don't just lie there and hope it will happen, read, do something. Trying to sleep like that just makes things worse.